3 Tasting Notes

Thoroughly disappointing as far as an English Breakfast tea goes. The loose leaf version of this brews up to a brown/grey with no hints of red or orange. The red/orange indicates Assam in the mix, which is mostly what gives an English Breakfast its malty goodness. It has a fairly astringent maybe even mildly citrus-ey note to it, which IMO has no place in an English, Irish or Scottish Breakfast Tea.

Not very happy with this, but I’ll probably find some use for the tin, once I dump the tea out.

Preparation

Never a bad tea, and never a great tea. This tea is fairly sweet -even more-so with milk and sugar, which is my favored way of having my tea. It is light and occasionally slightly astringent. My big problem with this seems to be that Tetly is very inconsistent with this blend-I’ve had some boxes that were fairly strong (love) and some boxes that seemed pretty week (not so much love).

Preparation

This is a robust tea, hardy enough to join the Fianna and as smooth and consistent as a well worn scabbard. From the minute you start pouring water over the bag, this tea is ready to fight for you. It will lift the fog and fend off the damp with a balance of grace and brute force.

A good English or Irish Breakfast tea should be bold and strong, but not astringent, and Barry’s has it pegged. After 2-3 minutes, this tea brews up to a nice reddish brown and the tea is the perfect vehicle for a bit of milk and sugar. This tea has a lot of Assam, which people tend to love or hate. If you’re looking for an even more robust cuppa, try Barry’s Gold.